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Cleaning business pricing calculator

A reality-checked starting point for how much to charge — residential or commercial. Uses industry-standard per-square-foot and per-hour rates, adjusted for service frequency and job type. Outputs a realistic price range; you can adjust based on your local market and target margin.

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How this calculator works

Estimates use industry-standard rate tables: $0.08–$0.18 per sqft for residential, $0.05–$0.20 per sqft for commercial office, with higher rates for medical/restaurant (regulatory cleaning), Airbnb (faster turn), and post-construction (heavy debris). Job-type multipliers apply (1.0 for standard, 1.6 for deep clean, 1.8 for move). Frequency adjusts per-visit pricing — more frequent visits cost less per visit because there's less buildup. Market tier scales by cost-of-living.

These are starting points, not gospel. Local competition, your specific crew speed, supply costs, and target margin all matter. Test prices in your first 20 jobs and adjust.

Frequently asked questions

How do you charge for cleaning — flat rate, hourly, or per square foot?
Residential: flat rate per home is best for established cleaners — penalizes hourly inefficiency. New cleaners often start hourly ($30–$50/hr) until they understand their pace. Commercial: per square foot is the industry standard ($0.05–$0.45/sqft per visit) because contracts compare bids that way. Move to flat-rate or per-square-foot as soon as you know your actual times.
What's a normal markup over labor cost?
Healthy cleaning businesses run 3–4x labor cost. If you pay a cleaner $20/hr, charge the customer $60–$80/hr (or the equivalent in flat rate). That covers cleaner pay + payroll taxes + supplies + insurance + your overhead + profit. Anything below 2.5x and you're losing money on overhead.
How much do recurring cleaning customers pay vs one-time deep cleans?
Deep cleans are typically 1.5–2x the price of a recurring clean. Bi-weekly recurring clients usually pay 10–15% less per visit than weekly clients pay; monthly recurring pays 25–35% more per visit than bi-weekly. The pattern: more frequent = lower per-visit price (less buildup, less time), but higher total annual revenue.

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